Milner a shining example to Reds’ new generation
SKIPPER SCORES AND LAYS ON OTHER GOAL
ALL THE talk was about Liverpool’s kids but the oldest player on the pitch took centre stage.
James Milner, 33, scored to show the youngsters how it is done and put in a man-of-thematch performance as the Premier League leaders made 11 changes and still went through comfortably.
Milner also supplied the assist for Liverpool’s second goal as teenager Ki-Jana Hoever scored his first goal for the club with a back post header.
Incredibly, Milner scored his first goal in the Premier League on Boxing Day 2002 which was four months before Liverpool debutant Harvey Elliott was even born.
Milner was breaking records back then as he was the youngest ever scorer in the Premier League aged just 16 years and 356 days and, even though that record has since been broken, he remains a shining example to Liverpool’s new generation.
Elliott, at 16 years and 174 days, became the youngest ever player to start a game for Liverpool while hot prospect Rhian Brewster, 19, and 20-year-old keeper Caoimhin Kelleher also made full debuts.
The League One club could have gone ahead themselves early on after a mistake by Dejan Lovren let in Conor McGrandles but the MK Dons midfielder scooped the ball over the bar.
That chance aside, it was largely all Liverpool but boss Jurgen Klopp, right, saw Elliott miss a glorious chance from point blank range as he hit the bar from five yards and Brewster could not steer a Milner cross into the net.
Milner then decided to take matters into his own hands and, when MK Dons’ defence only half cleared the ball to him on the edge of the box, the stand-in captain unleashed a fierce drive.
It should have been straightforward for MK Dons keeper Stuart Moore but he made a terrible mess of it, the ball slipped through his hands and trickled into the net. It was a moment that Moore will want to forget in front of a new record attendance of 28,521 at Stadium MK but one for Milner to treasure as it was his first goal in the League Cup since the 2010 final when he scored a penalty but his Aston Villa team lost to Manchester United.
Liverpool made it safe after 69 minutes and typically Milner provided the cross for Hoever, 17, to score from close range.
But MK Dons refused to give up and twice Jordan Bowery went close while Lovren cleared off the line and Milner made a terrific last-ditch block as Dons chased a consolation prize.
MK DONS (4-4-2): Moore 5; Williams 6, Walsh 6, Poole 6, Gilbey 6 (Boateng, 73 mins), Dickenson 6(Martin 46), McGrandles 5, Brittain 6, Kasumu 6 (Houghton 61), Nombe 6, Bowery 6.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Kelleher 6, Hoever 7 (van den Berg 90), Gomez 7, Lovren 6, Milner 8, Oxlade-Chamberlain 7 (Kane 82), Lallana 7, KeIta 6 (Chirvella 63,6), Elliott 7, Jones 7, Brewster 6.
Goals: Milner 41, Hoever 69.